My main memory when looking back over the past year was during the summer months when for a few weeks our world was turned on end. It began at the start of the summer holidays when Laurie caught a sickness bug, which he kindly shared with everyone in the house. We were all better within a couple of days, but looking back, it is clear now that he never really got fully better. He was less energetic than normal, and he complained of a sore foot, but we dosed him with anti-inflammatory tablets and expected him to recover in time.
However, when Laurie could barely walk round Manchester after a trip to the Commonwealth Games, we rang our GP and secured a 3pm appointment that day. After 10 minutes with the doctor, he was bundled off to the Royal Preston Hospital that afternoon, and we were told to pack an overnight bag for him. It was two weeks before he came out of hospital, spending most of that time having doses of intravenous antibiotics four times per day to cure what was eventually diagnosed as osteomyelytis (a bone infection). He then spent a further six weeks on oral antibiotics.
It was a very worrying time, especially for the first few days when he was in considerable pain, and the doctors didn’t have a clear idea what was wrong. He was discharged the day before we were due to go on holiday, but since he had to return to the clinic the following week, we had to postpone our trip to Cornwall. The whole summer is now just a blurred memory of worry and concern and not an experience we wish to repeat. But Laurie seems well enough now, although he still needs to visit the hospital occasionally for blood tests to make sure things are still OK.
So that’s the down side of the year. On much a brighter note, we eventually had a lovely week in St Ives, the children enjoying it even more since we were now into the first week of the school term. This was a bonus since the weather was just as good but there were fewer crowds. The children spent as much time as they could on body-boards in the sea, whilst we seemed to spend considerable time persuading them to do something other than watching for the next big wave.
For the grown-ups there were two main highlights of the holiday: a visit to the Minack open air theatre to see a performance of The Pearl Fishers (glorious weather, wonderful performance, and terrific seats) and a trip to the Scilly Isles.
We only spent a day on the Scilly Isles but we packed lots in. The 9.15 flight from Land’s End took just 30 minutes in an 8 seat plane, with the children sitting in the second row of seats just behind the pilot. I’m not sure Emily enjoyed it, since she had a wonderful view of the co-pilot’s controls (since there was no co-pilot) and didn’t like all the flashing lights and dials. Geraldine wasn’t too keen because flying at just 1,000ft, she thought that the waves were about to lash over the wings. Laurie took it in his stride and joked with the pilot about getting lost.
When we landed at St Mary’s, we thought a boat trip round the islands would help us get our bearings. The boat trip was wonderful, taking us amazingly close to seals and sea birds. We landed on Tresco, and were told that the boat home would leave from the other side of the island, since where we landed would be under water at high tide. This was rather un-nerving, since we had no idea of the layout of the island and hadn’t a clue where the ferry would leave from. We needn’t have worried since Tresco is only tiny (you know the size of the island in a typical boating lake? That’s Tresco) and even we found it difficult to get lost. We walked the length (or width, who can say?) of the island, spent an hour or two in the Abbey Gardens (a magical place) and then had to rush to the jetty to catch a ferry back to St Mary’s. We just managed to squeeze onto a small, but very full, boat in time for a quick walk round town before our flight home.
The airfield at Land’s End is just that – a field – with no fancy navigational aids. We were warned in the morning that the return flight might be cancelled since poor visibility was forecast in the afternoon, but thankfully, the pilot risked it and we arrived on the mainland just 10 minutes before a heavy rain storm. We were glad since the alternative would have been a taxi to the port, ferry to Penzance, bus back to Land’s End and car home – adding a further 4 hours on the trip!
Despite our misadventures in the summer, we still managed to see quite a bit of the Commonwealth Games. We had tickets for both cycling and athletics events and we were also amongst the 50,000 people who saw the mountain biking at Rivington. We caught up with the other events on TV and spent several days humming ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ after the English teams did so well. Laurie managed to see all the events, since the hospital had a TV set in his ward!
I spent the spring learning to be a Guide at Hoghton Tower, which is a stately home a couple of miles away. The owner, Sir Bernard de Hoghton, appealed for help in March, since many of the present guides were almost as old as the building itself, but sadly not lasting quite so well. I had considered doing something like this many years ago, but didn’t take it up, so this seemed like an ideal opportunity. I first went at Easter, and by early summer was taking tours alone. I must say, I love the job, even when people ask awkward questions. I’m sure some people take delight in trying to put the guides on the spot, but I’ve found that if you say something with authority, most people believe it. (Another good tip is to start every sentence with ‘allegedly’).
During the winter months a very popular attraction at the house are ghost tours which are followed by a meal. I was asked to help out at these events and was told that they are popular with the guides, since they received a free meal. It was only after the first tour that I realised before I could eat my ‘free’ meal, I had to help serve food to the other 60-odd paying guests first! (I know, I know, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”). There is a wonderful atmosphere at the house, a bit amateurish, with everyone mucking in and helping out where they can. Even Sir Bernard delights in directing traffic on the car park, and then casually letting it slip who he is if he gets a stroppy customer!
I’m still Cub Scout Leader at the local pack, and now Laurie has joined as a Cub, and surprisingly, Emily has joined the Scouts! She didn’t really like the Guides, and after visiting Scouts, she decided that it was for her, and she now loves it. There are three other girls in the troop along with twelve boys, and I think the girls keep the boys in check. She is now asking me to help her complete her badges. I suggested that an easy one for her to gain is the Entertainers badge, since she is presently rehearsing for a pantomime in February. She was in the local panto early this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is in addition to dancing classes for 2½ hours every Saturday. Emily also took part in a dance show in the summer, performing several routines in front of an audience of some 1,000 people. These rehearsals kept her very busy, and Mum was also kept very busy making costumes! But at least it kept her out of mischief (and Emily too).
Not to be outdone in tying up parents’ time, Laurie also plays for Gregson Lane Junior Football club, as well as the Cub’s football team. Some weeks he will practice on Thursday, play for Cubs on Saturday and Gregson Lane on Sunday. We thoroughly enjoy the hours we spend standing in cold fields in the driving rain muttering encouragement or washing dirty clothes and muddy boots afterwards.
This summer, Geraldine resigned from her position as Foundation Governor at the local school, after finding the time commitment rather too much. She is now re-discovering what it is like to have some evenings free once more without having to go to meetings, training courses and do all the background reading the job demanded.
Emily will be leaving St Joseph’s next summer, and she has applied to go to Brownedge St Mary’s High School, which is where most of her friends will be going. The school has a good academic record, and interestingly, it has just applied to become a Specialist Sports College. The only drawback I can see is that the school has to raise a considerable sum before it can progress with the application. I have a conviction that they will want people to help with fund-raising, and a premonition that I might become involved in the near future.
We have just held our annual Christmas Fair at St Joseph’s, and raised a tidy sum. I was in the wrong place at the end of the day, and had the unenviable task of counting the cash raised and then bagging it and depositing it in the bank. I now know why Kings had counting houses. This is just the start of the usual mad rush up to Christmas, with a non-stop whirl of parties, plays, carol concerts and mince pie eating.
I hope that you have had a wonderful year, and that 2003 brings you all the things you wish for.